Submitted by Sustainable CT
(June 8, 2024) — After an extensive search, the Sustainable CT Board of Directors has unanimously selected Jessica LeClair to serve as Sustainable CT’s Executive Director upon the retirement of the organization’s founder, Lynn Stoddard.
Born and raised in Connecticut, Ms. LeClair attended Connecticut College where she received a BA in environmental studies and international relations. She went on to receive an MS in climate science and policy at Bard College.
Ms. LeClair began her professional career in the Office of Climate Change at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP); she went on to join the newly created Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA). While at CIRCA, she became keenly aware of the importance of local governments as a lever of change and was thrilled to join Sustainable CT’s founding executive director as one of the program’s primary staff members.
Launched in late 2017, Sustainable CT provides a framework for towns to become great places to live, work, and visit. Through a menu of best practices ranging from land stewardship and energy efficiency to affordable housing and vibrant arts and culture, the program extends far beyond environmental sustainability and has become a valued tool to build community engagement and forward-thinking municipal policy, programs, and practices.
In support of town sustainability initiatives, Sustainable CT provides free technical support to towns and has invested more than four million dollars in more than 325 community-led projects across the state. 82% of the state’s municipalities (138 towns and cities) are participating in Sustainable CT. 63 towns have earned prestigious Sustainable CT certification after successfully implementing a broad range and depth of sustainability best practices. 11 towns have earned Climate Leader designation, demonstrating their leadership and impact in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the changing climate.
“I’m thrilled to step into the executive director role at Sustainable CT,” said Ms. LeClair. “As a life-long Connecticut resident, I’m inspired by the positive changes we are seeing across our cities and towns as they engage with Sustainable CT. It has been a privilege to support the development and growth of Sustainable CT since its inception, and I look forward to working closely with municipalities as they move forward on their sustainability programs. We’ve accomplished a great deal together, but there’s still so much more to do, and I’m excited to be a part of the progress.”
Over the past five months, the Transition Committee of the Sustainable CT Board of Directors conducted a rigorous and thorough process of reviewing nearly seventy applications from across the region and holding multiple stages of interviews with numerous well-qualified candidates.
“We are grateful for the interest and passion so many people shared for Sustainable CT throughout the search,” said Nicole Chevalier, Sustainable CT Board member. “After undergoing an extensive search process, the Board is excited to welcome Jessica LeClair as the new Executive Director as of July 1, 2024. We believe her knowledge and expertise in sustainability and equity, her commitment to building authentic relationships with partners, towns and supporters and passion for the Sustainable CT organization will be assets during Sustainable CT’s continued growth. We are confident that under her leadership, the organization’s success and impact in achieving its mission and vision will continue to flourish.”
Sustainable CT’s retiring executive director, Lynn Stoddard, will be celebrated at the organization’s “Spring into Summer 2024” event on June 11, 2024 at Wickham Park in Manchester.
For more information about Sustainable CT, please visit sustainablect.org.
Photo provided by Sustainable CT
